<p>I'm a graduating senior at UC Merced, I've been here since it opened in 2005 and I love it. I'm a history major, so I can't speak for natural sciences or engineering students, but for me it's been the best possible college experience. There are so many opportunities you have here that you just don't get at other UCs. </p>
<p>I've interned in Yosemite National Park during the summer, where I was paid to live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. That summer there were 10 spots for interns in the park. 8 were reserved for students from UC Merced, and 2 were available for everybody else in the country. </p>
<p>I just got back from a semester in Washington DC where I worked in the House of Representatives and had an amazing time. </p>
<p>I've assisted a post-doc researcher at Stanford with her project on bilingualism, been able to conduct my own experiments of color perception, and the school is paying for me to attend the Cognitive Science 2008 conference this summer. </p>
<p>I also worked in a microbiology lab on a project related to microbial diversity patterns. </p>
<p>I'm going to BYU for law school next year, and was accepted at UC Hastings, William and Mary, and 6 other schools. </p>
<p>There's at least a dozen professors that I could get together with for lunch any day of the week, they just love to talk to their students outside of class. Some professors are busier than others, but if I've ever had a question or concern, there was never any problem getting to talk to the professor about it.</p>
<p>My experience isn't typical, and I recognize that, but the point is that going to UC Merced will in no way limit your opportunities while in college. If you're worried about graduate school, all of the other UCs are just DYING to get UC Merced graduates. I talked to the head of admissions at UC Hastings and he told me that the entire office got really excited when they received their first UCM applicant.</p>